Dog Days of Summer

We're into the final stretch of summer, referred to by some as the "Dog Days of Summer." Do you know why this time of year is called the Dog Days of Summer? I think that it's because it's the end of summer and everyone is "dog tired" and hot and ready for the cooler fall air. With a little research (thanks Wikipedia!) I uncovered a little history behind this phrase...

Tahoe feeling the heat!

The Romans referred to the dog days as diēs caniculārēs and associated the hot weather with the star Sirius. They considered Sirius to be the "Dog Star" because it is the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major (Large Dog). Sirius is also the brightest star in the night sky. 

Sirius is so bright that the ancient Romans thought that the earth received heat from it. Look for it in the southern sky (viewed from northern latitudes) during January. In the summer, however, Sirius, the “dog star,” rises and sets with the sun. During late July Sirius is in conjunction with the sun, and the ancients believed that its heat added to the heat of the sun, creating a stretch of hot and sultry weather. They named this period of time, from 20 days before the conjunction to 20 days after, “dog days” after the dog star. 

The conjunction of Sirius with the sun varies somewhat with latitude. And the “precession of the equinoxes” (a gradual drifting of the constellations over time) means that the constellations today are not in exactly the same place in the sky as they were in ancient Rome. Today, dog days occur during the period between July 3 and August 11. Although it is certainly the warmest period of the summer, the heat is not due to the added radiation from a far-away star, regardless of its brightness. No, the heat of summer is a direct result of the earth's tilt. 

Dog Days were popularly believed to be an evil time "when the seas boiled, wine turned sour, Quinto raged in anger, dogs grew mad, and all creatures became languid, causing to man burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies" according to Brady’s Clavis Calendarium, 1813.

So... there you have it!
By the way, I think Gus (the bulldog in the video below) has the right idea on how to cope with the heat : )

P.S.: Stay tuned for another "Dog Days" post involving a little swimming and biking and running in the coming week...

Watch Dog

Every now and then I like to prop open the front door to our house. We have a glass storm door - when our house door is open, sunlight shines in through the storm door and lights up our entry way. Unfortunately, ever since Ashley joined us, I have not been able to keep the door open much because both Tahoe and Ashley will bark (very loudly) at anything that passes by our home.

Tahoe never used to bark when the door was open. Then, Ashley came along and barked at everything... sadly, Tahoe caught the "barking bug."* Even worse, Ashley will actually slam her body against the glass of the door. This usually happens when another dog is being walked past our house or the neighborhood children are in our yard. It's difficult to convince people that Ashley is friendly when she's drooling and body slamming the door. She really is a sweet and gentle pup, I swear!

*In general, Tahoe and Ashley do not bark too much. The only time that they really bark is if they are looking out the window of the house and they see someone passing or if someone knocks on the door.

Ashley on the lookout

Ears perked

Hiking the Billy Goat Trail

Happy Sunday!

Anniversary flowers courtesy of mum

This morning, Babu and I got up early to hike the popular Billy Goat Trail A in Maryland.  Four-legged companions are not allowed on this trail so sadly, Tahoe and Ashley had to sit this one out. (I know... I've been saying this a lot recently... I promise to write about Tahoe and Ashley soon!) The Billy Goat A is a pretty short trail - only 1.7 miles. That said, it involves rock scrambling and climbing over huge boulders. On average, it typically takes hikers over two hours to complete the trail. (It took us 1 hour and 40 minutes.)

This trail is really popular and it can get very busy with hikers and tourists. Strangely though, this was the first time that Babu or I had ever been on this trail - it's definitely worth hiking again in the fall.

The Billy Goat Trail A

Climbing to the top

Babu on the Billy Goat

Overlooking the Potomac River and Virginia

6 Years Ago...

Six years ago today, Brian and I tied the knot.

On our wedding day

I can't believe that it has already been six years! To celebrate our anniversary, I surprised Brian with a chauffeured wine tasting tour. Unfortunately, Tahoe and Ashley couldn't join us but our friend Jim and his Aunt and "soon to be" Uncle were able to.

During our North Loudoun wine tour, we tasted wines at three different vineyards: Veramar, Bluemont Vineyard, and Sunset Hills Vineyard. We had a really good time and tasted a few good wines along the way.

Tasting at Veramar

Posing in front of our ride

At Bluemont

Tasting at Bluemont

The views from Bluemont were spectacular

Toasting on the ride home

Happy Anniversary Brian!
xoxo, Jen

Walking at Sunset

Well, it's still steamy and hot here in Northern VA. An "excessive heat warning" has even been issued for our area until Thursday evening. We've tried to avoid the heat by walking later in the evening, as the sun is setting. Conveniently, that time of day is also good for picture taking.

Ashley at the lake

Tahoe and Ashley

Ashley cooling off - after the walk

Shelter from the Rain

Today was hot and humid. The heatwave that has lingered in the midwest is starting to work its way here and it's sweltering hot - yuck! Tahoe and Ashley don't seem to care about the temperatures. They just love being outside and walking no matter how hot or cold it gets.

The calm before the storm

Our walk this afternoon started out fine but gray skies were looming in the background. It started with a few rain drops. Soon we found ourselves in a monsoon-like downpour. Luckily, Babu and I were close to a shopping center. We headed there sopping wet, seeking shelter from the rain.

Tahoe and Ashley - wet dogs!

Waiting out the storm

After 10 minutes, the rain finally subsided and we were able to head back home. The walk home was actually quite pleasant because the rain seemed to cool things off a bit - if only temporarily.

New addition!

We have a new addition to the family... Toby!

Babu and Toby

Toby is a 4 year old yorkshire terrier. John, Brian's older brother, recently adopted Toby. He brought Toby over the other night for a little "play date" with Tahoe and Ashley.

Ashley wondering "Who is this?"

Toby and Brian

Chicago recap - a "dog-free" post

Last weekend, I spent a few days in the suburbs of Chicago visiting my cousin, her husband, and my aunt and uncle. My cousin's husband is allergic to dogs so this post is going to be dog-free, just for him - sorry Tahoe and Ashley!

My gracious hosts!

My cousin had planned a few activities for us during our stay. (I say "our stay" because while I flew to Chicago via Atlanta, Babu drove to Chicago so I was able to catch up with him once I reached my cousin's house.) One of the activities was visiting The Morton Arboretum.  You know Morton Salt, with the salt canister that has the little girl with the umbrella on it? Well, Joy Morton, the founder of Morton Salt also founded The Morton Arboretum. The arboretum is quite impressive; it covers over 1,700 acres and has over 4,100 different species of trees, shrubs and other woody plants from around the globe.

While there, we took a tram ride around the grounds, walked through an outdoor maze, and visited the Children's Garden. It was a beautiful but hot day... temps reached up to over 90 degrees!

Lost in the maze

The Children's Garden

Not recommended for toddlers

The blooming flowers were beautiful

"Lichen it" - part of Nature Unframed outdoor art exhibit

Knowing that Babu and I are into hiking, my cousin had also planned a trip to Starved Rock and Matthiessen State Park.  We hiked up and down stairs and trails and boardwalks... we looked out over vistas of the Illinois River... and we explored caves and waterfalls.

Starved Rock

Looking down on the Illinois River

Waterfall at Matthiessen

It was great to have an opportunity to catch up and spend time with family. Special thanks to my cousin and her husband for hosting and taking care of me and Babu during our visit. Thanks also for putting up with the stinky gray shirt... T & D, you know what I'm talking about ; )

I Finally Made it!

I finally made it to my destination...
The "windy city" of Chicago!
(What a strange route to get here... more to come later)

Guess where I'm going?

I've just landed in Atlanta. My plane from Dulles Airport was delayed this evening, causing me to miss my connecting flight in Atlanta. I bet you can't guess where my final destination is... tune in tomorrow to find out.
For tonight, it's a hotel in Atlanta.
Sweet dreams!

I Heart Tahoe & Ashley

I just got back from walking Tahoe and Ashley around the neighborhood. It was dark out so I didn't take any pictures - sorry, you'll have to use your imagination. It was after 10pm and the neighborhood was quiet except for the chirps of crickets and the croaks of frogs. The darkness (and lack of other walkers) gave me a chance to really listen and watch Tahoe and Ashley. There's something magical about walking as a "pack" under the moonlight. I love my dogs.

When Babu is Away...

When Babu is away... Ashley will play!

Babu is on a roadtrip visiting family and friends and site-seeing. Not to worry - Ashley has decided to keep his bed warm for him until he returns.

Ashley on the "look out"

Keeping the bed warm

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July - I hope that your day is filled with sparklers, family, and fun!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As a follow-up to yesterday's post, below is a summary and the results from Brian's "virtual" hotdog eating contest.

The "official" hotdogs

The competitors:

Babu - aka "the eating machine"

Brian - aka "the iron stomach"

The challenge: To eat as many hotdogs as you can in 10 minutes.

The buns are laid out

The hotdogs are ready

"Iron stomach" ate three hotdogs in under 3 min.

"The Eating Machine" maintained a consistent pace

Tahoe, looking on -- or assisting?

The results:
Babu - 8 hotdogs
Brian - 6 hotdogs
Brian was ahead by one hotdog for the first 5-6 minutes. Then, Babu made his move... (or maybe he enlisted Tahoe for help?) One minute, he was behind by one dog and then the next minute, he was neck and neck with Brian. In the end, Babu kept a more consistent chewing pace that helped him secure the win with 8 hotdogs!

PS - It looks like Kobayashi did a little "virtual" contest of his own too.

The Contest of All Contests

July 4th is just one day away which means... in less than 24 hours there will be fireworks, grilling, pool parties, and of course, the annual Nathan's Hotdog Eating Contest!

I love watching the hotdog eating contest. Every year on July 4 at noon, Brian and I sit in front of the television to watch the live coverage from Coney Island as Joey Chestnut, Kobayashi, Sonya Thomas, and other competitive eaters duke it out for a chance to win the mustard yellow Nathan's hotdog eating championship belt. (Last year, Chestnut won the competition by eating 54 hotdogs!)

For the past two years, Brian has participated in the contest virtually. With the tv on, the timer set, and the hotdogs and buns prepared, Brian has attempted to eat as many hotdogs as he can in 10 minutes. This year, Brian will be at work at noon on July 4th. So, he's decided to hold his hotdog eating contest this evening and he's invited Babu to participate...
Stay tuned... results will be posted later.

The Washington Monument

Today, in honor of the long July 4th holiday weekend, Babu and I went to the Washington Monument in Boonsboro, Maryland where we embarked on a 19.5 mile hike on the Appalachian Trail (AT). The Washington Monument is 30ft tall - it has a circular staircase that visitors can climb to the top for a breathtaking view of Maryland and West Virginia.

About the Washington Monument

Babu on top of the monument

After climbing and descending the Washington Monument staircase, I was well warmed-up for the six and a half hour hike ahead. But first, I had to help Babu...

"Let me out!"

Our hike took us past Annapolis Rock and Black Rock Cliff - both locations offered spectacular views of the area. Babu even made some friends at Annapolis Rock.

View from Annapolis Rock

Babu making friends

All in all, it was a glorious day on the AT. On our way home, we stopped for sodas and in the parking lot we saw... two weimaraners! They look a little vicious in the picture that I took but they were just being rambunctious little rascals.

Hiking the AT

Two crazy weims!